Marketing Mix, Segmenting, LifeCycle and Market Research

1. Discuss the marketing mix of an organization with which you are familiar. Be sure to discuss how the elements of the mix are interdependent.

2. Provide an example of a product that has traveled the entire course of the product lifecycle. Discuss the evidence displayed at each stage.

3. Choose an example of market segmentation. Discuss the criteria used to segment the market and the strategies used to appeal to the segment.

4. Discuss the importance of research. What types of information is critical to marketing, discuss methods used for research.

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1. Discuss the marketing mix of an organization with which you are familiar. Be sure to discuss how the elements of the mix are interdependent.

Introduction
Big Denali Developments is a for profit start-up software company with three software products in its product line. These consist of Keenai Pro, an online collaboration software which tracks projects in real time; Keenai Train, a web based training software which can be delivered to anyone with an internet or intranet connection; and Keenai Library , a desktop application which allows the cataloging and categorization of electronic files. Keenai Pro is currently in its beta testing phase and the other two products are still under development.

The Marketing Mix for Big Denali Developments
Since BDD's business goals have been established, the next step is to work with a reliable search engine marketer or search engine optimization company. This type of company specializes in the technology that creates traffic and positions products. Correct search engine optimization can help determine the right mix for BDD as it concerns the following (Wehr, 2004):

Product
The ability to easily find BDD products on the internet can be a value-added service for BDD's potential clients. They can buy BDD software regardless of the time of day or night, location or even the weather, if BDD's products immediately show up in the first few search results pages of the client's chosen search engine, which is most probably Google, MSN, AOL or Yahoo. The sale of BDD's products and services can rapidly increase based on how convenient it is for BDD's clients to research, inquire and ultimately make a purchase. Some points to consider are how fast can BDD's potential clients find the software? Can they learn more about those products or services and buy them from BDD's website instantaneously? Is the buying process a safe and simple procedure (Wehr, 2004)? BDD currently does not have any e-commerce capability on its website. It is a feature that will need to be added to the company's website as soon as possible.
If, on the other hand, BDD's products and services do not promptly appear within the first few pages of a keyword search, they effectively do not exist to its potential clients and will certainly not be purchased. A successful search optimization campaign, however, will allow small businesses like BDD to sell in a virtually level playing field. BDD can also enhance its visibility with pay-per-click advertising through Google, Yahoo and other search engines (Wehr, 2004).

Place
A brick and mortar software company can sell its products from a physical building in a business complex, or a space in a strip mall. When a client walks into a software store, he or she can almost immediately discover whether there is any training software in the store by looking for signs and marked packages?but he or she may not be able to do the same at an online software store. The online client can find out if the online software seller has any training software by using a keyword search . If BDD's website does not contain the keywords its potential clients use to find training software, it is highly unlikely they will buy their desired training software from BDD. With diligent search engine optimization, BDD can put its products and services where potential clients can easily find them, similar to a software retailer putting ...

Solution Summary

This is a discussion of marketing mix, segmenting, life cycle and market research for a start-up software company.